To Be Anything Less
by peytona05
Summary: Which comes first, the parent or the cop? Starsky must draw the line between the two when an earthquake traps his stepdaughter in her classroom. Rated T, just to be safe. Part Five of my "Hero" Series.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Without reading my previous four (4) S&H stories - "For the Love of a Child," "The Hero," "By Any Other Name," and "The Lucky One" - you won't fully understand the context of Starsky's relationship with Ashley. However, you're more than welcome to read this story without the background; I hope you enjoy it and will read the rest of the series.**

xXxXx

It was late, but Starsky knew Ashley would likely still be awake. He walked down the hall from the living room to Ashley's bedroom and poked his head through the partially open door. Starsky looked toward the bed and saw his stepdaughter looking back.

Starsky smiled, though in the darkness she probably couldn't see it. "Hey, kiddo. Your mom said you'd probably still be up."

"You didn't call. I thought maybe something had happened to you."

Crossing the room, he sat on the edge of her bed. "I'm sorry, Ash. I meant to. Hutch and I had a court appearance this morning, and that took longer than we expected. Then we had a couple busts to make this afternoon, and we spent the rest of the day wrapping those cases up. That's why I'm so late getting home; I was literally working from the time I left this morning until about twenty-five minutes ago."

Ashley quickly changed topics. "Guess what my teacher told us today? Next Friday is Career Day, and Mrs. Sanchez wants us all to bring a parent in to talk about their jobs. Can you come?"

Starsky mentally reviewed the next couple weeks. Tomorrow was Tuesday, and unless something major happened in the next few days, he had about a little over a week and a half to plan his schedule around Career Day.

"I have to okay it with Captain Dobey and run it by Hutch, but I don't think it'll be a problem. What time?"

"It starts at nine. I left a flyer about it with your dinner plate in the kitchen."

He smiled again as he leaned down to kiss Ashley good night. "I'll look at it while I eat. I love you, squirt. Sleep good."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. "Good night, Daddy. I'll see you tomorrow."

Daddy…god, he loved to hear Ashley call him that. He didn't take it lightly either, because he knew what kind of memories it brought back for her. The thought of Melissa's first husband wasn't a pleasant one for any of them, but it was especially hard on Ashley, and Starsky knew - had known since the beginning - that he had a lot of work ahead of him in rebuilding Ashley's view of men. The fact that she'd just recently started referring to him as "Daddy" told him that he had to be doing something right.

Starsky stood and walked across the room, then out into the hallway. He pulled the door closed behind him, and as he made his way to the kitchen, he ran his right thumb across a bullet scar on his left forearm, a permanent reminder of just how much he loved that little girl.

xXxXx

Ashley watched her step dad leave her room, then she rolled over to look at the picture on her bedside table. It was a photo from the wedding a year and a half before; it showed her, her mom, and her then-new dad. That had been one of the best days of Ashley's life, mostly because it was the day Dave had become a permanent fixture in their lives.

Ashley remembered what life was like without Dave, and it had gotten better when he showed up. Now that he was married to Ashley's mom, life was the best it had ever been.

He hadn't always been "Daddy"; she'd just started that a few months before. In fact, he still wasn't "Daddy" all the time. Mostly, she still called him Dave, and he was okay with that. But it was a really good feeling to say that word and know the person she was referring to loved her.

A dim stream of moonlight was shining through Ashley's window, and she could just barely see Dave's arm around her mom's waist and his other hand on Ashley's shoulder in the picture. She knew Dave loved them. Not just because he told them everyday, even though he did. She knew because he treated them like they were important to him. He was the dad her birth father should have been, and she loved Dave for it.

Ashley closed her eyes and soon fell asleep, a smile on her lips.

xXxXx

Starsky walked into the kitchen, finding his dinner plate and Ashley's flyer on the table. He sat and picked at his food while glancing over the paper. _It's never to early to start dreaming. Bring a parent to Career Day to share about their jobs._

It listed the date and time, the teacher's name, and the room number, things Starsky already knew.

He looked up from the green beans on his plate when Melissa walked in and hugged him from behind. He turned his head just enough to kiss his wife on the cheek.

"Ashley sounded like she really wants me to be there."

"She does," Melissa stated as she joined him at the table. "She didn't ask me if I could come…she thought of you first. She also mentioned that Mrs. Sanchez wants the parents that are able, to bring one or two items from work."

Starsky chuckled at the thought of carrying his sidearm into a grade school classroom. "It's a good thing I carry my badge with me everywhere I go; at least that will get me off the hook with any school administrators regarding my gun."

xXxXx

Melissa smiled as she thought of her husband getting in trouble for bringing a gun to Career Day. To be honest, she'd be surprised if it didn't start at least a little commotion. Trouble had a habit of following Dave wherever he went, but thank God he had Hutch to bail him out.

_Now there's an idea…_

"Dave, what about Hutch? He's your partner, something you have to have for work. You think you could talk him to coming with you?"

"Sweetheart, when Mrs. Sanchez said 'items,' I'm not sure she was thinking 'people.' Probably, she meant things you can carry on you. With Hutch, what do I do…handcuff him to my arm? Give a demonstration of what a normal day looks like for me?"

xXxXx

Starsky had meant that as a joke, but as the words crossed his lips, he thought, _Hey, why not? I could go for that, though Hutch'll probably kill me for it._

"Actually, that's not a bad idea. I'll give Mrs. Sanchez a call in the next day or two, find out how much trouble a couple cops could get into for this."

_For that matter, what would Dobey say? Oh well…_

He continued with his meal, using his knife and fork to tear apart his chicken and letting his imagination run away with ideas for Career Day.

xXxXx

Melissa smiled again as she pictured her husband's mental wheels turning. Whatever he was planning, he was enjoying it.

She sat with Dave as he finished his dinner, then cleaned up the kitchen while he took a quick shower. She listened to the bathroom water run and realized once again how lucky she was.

Meeting and falling in love with Dave Starsky certainly had not been part of the plan. After Stephen, the last thing Melissa had wanted was to let another man into her and Ashley's lives. But Dave had proved to be completely different from her first husband. The way he treated her, the way he was with Ashley…_especially_ the way he was with Ashley.

It was nights like tonight that made Melissa wonder if perhaps Dave's relationship with her daughter was what she loved most about the man. Melissa knew that Dave's own father hadn't been a good one, but he had an idea of what a father should be like from watching Hutch with his dad. Melissa was grateful that from halfway across the country, Mr. Hutchinson had spent the last eighteen months helping to ease Dave's transition into fatherhood.

Melissa soon made her way into the master bedroom, where she found Dave already asleep in bed.

_Poor guy…I didn't realize how tired he was._

Melissa silently changed into her nightgown, and after crawling into bed, she gently ran her fingers through her husband's curly hair. "I love you," she whispered. "You're the best thing that ever happened to me."

She lightly kissed his cheek before leaning back onto her pillow and drifting off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Hutch glanced over the sheet of paper his partner had given him.

"Career Day, huh? And she wants you there?"

Starsky nodded as he drove the Torino away from Venice Place. "Yep, and here's what I was thinking. I've still gotta get the okay from Dobey, but I thought I'd call Ashley's teacher and see what she thinks about me bringing my partner along."

Hutch shot a double take at Starsky's mischievous grin. That look could mean only one thing, and the blond had a feeling he wasn't going to like whatever Starsky had in mind.

xXxXx

Starsky glanced over at Hutch and saw the wary expression on his face.

"C'mon Hutch, don't look so worried. It won't be that bad, I promise. I just wanna spice things up a little bit, have some fun…you know, for the kids."

xXxXx

Hutch subtly rolled his eyes. Usually when Starsky talked this way, he was well on his way to getting carried away with an idea.

"All right, fine. But no surprises, do you hear me?"

Starsky started to protest, but Hutch cut him off. "No, now I mean it, Starsk. Talk to Dobey, talk to the teacher, make sure it's okay for me to tag along. But we're in this together, partner. I wanna know exactly what you're planning, and I want your word that we're gonna go overboard with it."

xXxXx

Starsky's excitement faded as his shoulders slumped.

"Fine," he answered grumpily. "I promise."

The words had barely left his mouth before the radio came to life. "Zebra-Three…come in, Zebra-Three."

Hutch grabbed the receiver and spoke into it. "This is Zebra-Three, go ahead."

"Message from Huggy Bear to meet him at the Pits. It's urgent, over."

Starsky glanced at his partner as he made a quick u-turn.

"We're on our way, dispatch. Ten-four," Hutch rang off.

"Huggy doesn't call dispatch unless something big is going down," Starsky stated rhetorically. "There's no telling what he knows, but I can't wait to find out what it is."

xXxXx

The pair walked into the Pits and found Huggy at his favorite pool table. They each took a stick and joined their friend in his game. After a few shots, Hutch spoke up.

"Your message said it was urgent. What's going on?"

Huggy aimed and shot, knocking the seven into the corner pocket. "You remember Joe Collandra?"

"That psychic friend of yours?" Starsky wanted to know. "Sure, he helped us find that football team owner's daughter a few years ago. What about him?"

"I got a call from him about forty-five minutes ago, and I don't know when I've heard him so scared."

Hutch leaned on his stick as he studied the table. "Why? What did he see?"

"He said something about falling walls and cars falling into the streets. And rocks…my man saw huge rocks in people's yards."

xXxXx

Starsky remembered meeting Collandra and feeling just as skeptical then as he felt now. It sounded like a bunch of hocus-pocus.

"Hug, come on. Walls don't just fall down on their own, rocks don't _magically_ appear in yards, and a street _does not_ open up and swallow cars. About the only thing that causes any of that to happen is an earthquake, and…"

Starsky's voice trailed off as he realized what he'd just said, and he and his friends stood staring at each other in silence.

Finally Hutch said, "But that's impossible…isn't it? I mean, nobody knows when an earthquake is gonna hit - "

"Or where, for that matter," Starsky interjected.

"Right," Hutch continued, "so how can we be sure how soon this ear quake is gonna happen, or if it's even gonna hit around here?"

"Hey, all I know is what he told me. That, and the fact that he ain't never been wrong before. If Collandra saw an earthquake, then one's coming. And my guess is, it's coming soon."

xXxXx

Hutch rubbed the back of his neck in frustration. He'd lived in California long enough to know that earthquakes were a regular occurrence, but they weren't something to be predicted. Yet here he and Starsky stood, knowing that a natural disaster could happen at any moment, and their hands were virtually tied.

"Starsk, what do we do with this? Even if we did know when this thing's gonna hit, we don't know how bad it'll be, and I doubt we'd be able to clear the city out in time. And besides, who'd believe us?"

xXxXx

Starsky quickly returned his pool stick to the rack. "Hutch, we gotta try. We start with Dobey; if we can get him to listen, we might have half a chance. Hug, if you hear from Collandra again, let us know. Got it?"

The black man nodded. "Sure thing, Starsky. You two go do your thing."

xXxXx

Huggy watched his friends leave. Man, he hated passing on bad news.

_Sometimes it really stinks to be a snitch. Why can't there be more good news to give 'em?_

Huggy found himself no longer interested in his game of pool. He returned his stick to the rack, then called out a warning that he was closing in ten minutes.

_Here's hoping that quake don't hit before these people get outta here._

xXxXx

Starsky cranked the Torino's engine and put it in reverse, barely giving his partner time to close his door behind him.

"Hutch, get on that radio, put in a call to Dobey; tell him to stand by for an emergency weather report."

xXxXx

"I'm way ahead of you." Hutch grabbed the receiver. "Dispatch, this is Zebra-Three. Come in, Dispatch."

"This is Dispatch, Zebra-Three. Go ahead."

"Patch me through to Captain Dobey's office; it's an emergency."

A few moments passed before Dobey's voice came over the radio. "Dobey here. Go ahead, Zebra-Three."

"Captain, this is Hutch. Listen, I don't have time to explain right now, but Starsky and I are on our way to the precinct, and…"

Hutch glanced at his partner, knowing how crazy he was about to sound. "And we have reason to believe that an earthquake is on its way."

xXxXx

Dobey blinked, not sure he'd heard correctly.

"You wanna try that again, Hutchinson? It sounded like you said an _earthquake_ is coming."

"I did, Captain."

The older man opened his mouth to object, to say that was impossible, but Hutch kept talking.

"I know it sounds insane, but I swear it's true. We have it on pretty good authority."

_Since when is there an earthquake expert that can predict when they're going to hit?_

"You mind telling me when this is going to happen, Hutchinson?"

xXxXx

Hutch started to answer, but just as he pressed the button to speak into the receiver, he happened to glance through his window at the park they were passing.

There were people walking their dogs, and they were having trouble controlling their animals. Smaller dogs were barking loudly and straining at their leashes. Larger ones had broken free from their owners and were running frantically back and forth across the lawn. Birds were quickly exiting the tree and wildly flying through the air.

_Animals going crazy are supposed to be a telltale sign that an earthquake is on its way. Great…that's just great._

"Hutchinson," Dobey called over the radio, "I asked you a question. Do you mind giving me an answer?"

"Sorry, Captain. Soon; it's coming soon. In fact, I think it's safe to say it's almost upon us."

xXxXx

**A/N: Joe Collandra appears in S2's episode "The Psychic," played by Allan Miller.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I've never been involved in or written about an earthquake, so chances are it's going to be off. I apologize in advance for that.**

xXxXx

Starsky stopped at the red light, groaning inwardly at how badly his day was starting. This wasn't the way he'd envisioned it going.

_Of all the things I wanted to be when I grew up, a weatherman wasn't high on the list. A cop, yes; a father, yes; an earthquake watcher, hell no._

The light turned green, and as Starsky eased his foot from the brake, he thought he felt an unusual rumble beneath him.

_That's not my car, and we're not anywhere near a construction site, so that can only mean one thing…_

xXxXx

Hutch was still trying to convince the captain that he wasn't crazy when he realized that the Torino was vibrating more than usual.

"Uh, hold on just a second, Captain." Hutch looked at his partner. "What's going on?"

Starsky didn't have a chance to answer. The road ahead of them suddenly split open, and the crack quickly began to widen.

"Captain," Hutch hollered into the receiver, "I'm gonna have to call you back!"

Looking back to his partner, the blond yelled, "Starsky, watch out!"

xXxXx

"I am watching! What do you think I'm doing, taking a nap? Hold onto your seat, Hutch, I'm gonna gun it!"

Starsky slammed his foot on the gas pedal, and the Torino sailed over the rapidly-forming canyon. As they landed on the other side of the ravine, Starsky was struck by the thought that his car had narrowly evaded being one of Collandra's street-swallowed cars.

However, he didn't have time to stop and thank his lucky stars. As Starsky continued down the street, he saw a building up ahead begin to tumble. He was already having to drive around broken pieces of pavement and cement, not to mention people and other cars, and now to add a falling building into the mix…it was chaos, pure and simple.

_So help me, the next time Collandra calls in with a vision, I'm not doubting his word. I'm taking it at face value._

xXxXx

Hutch wasn't sure his heart had ever beat as hard as it was beating right now. Here he sat in the passenger seat of the scariest ride of his life, with no way of getting off and no end in sight. He looked on in horror - what else could he do? - as Starsky just barely missed getting hit by a falling building.

"Starsky, what the hell are you doing still driving? In an earthquake, aren't you supposed to pull over and park?"

"Rule number one, Hutch: Earthquakes redefine the word _road kill_, something my car isn't meant to be. And in case you haven't noticed, every decent place there used to be to park now owns stock in the Grand Canyon. The best thing I know to do is get to the precinct. Now shut up and lemme drive."

All Hutch could do was hold on for dear life as Starsky made a crooked, bumpy right turn and swerved to miss some shrubbery laying in the street.

xXxXx

Dobey had ducked under his desk when he felt the tremors begin, and as he felt the building's foundation shift and threaten to break, his mind was racing.

_Did I kiss my wife this morning? Did I tell the kids I love them? If I die today, will my family be all right? Will the families of my men be all right if something happens to them today?_

His thoughts then turned to Starsky and Hutch, and Dobey realized that not only did they have prior knowledge of this earthquake, they were still out there on the streets.

_Dear God, keep those boys safe._

xXxXx

Hutch breathed a sigh of relief when the tremors finally ceased. Starsky had pulled into the precinct's parking lot just moments before, and as the pair carefully exited the car, Hutch could hardly believe his eyes. The block surrounding the precinct had undergone very little damage, in contrast to the street they'd been on when the earthquake had first started. A few power lines had come down and several chunks of pavement had been rammed into each other, but beyond that, the immediate area looked relatively unharmed.

Hutch heard Starsky calling his name and looked at him. "Yeah?"

"You all right, Hutch?"

The blond glanced down at his hands; they were trembling. He forced them back under control by balling them into fists and thought for a moment, taking note of his limbs and torso. "Yeah…yeah, I'm fine, just a little shook up. You?"

xXxXx

If Starsky wanted to be completely honest, he was scared to death. Not for himself, but for his family.

He nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay. Let's check in with Dobey, find out what he wants us to do. But first chance I get, I need to get in touch with Melissa, make sure she's all right."

Starsky didn't wait for a response; he simply headed for the precinct, knowing without looking over his shoulder that Hutch was right behind him.

xXxXx

Dobey was in the midst of trying to straighten his office when Starsky and Hutch walked in. He refused to admit it, but a wave of relief washed over him when he saw that they were safe. Then he remembered that they'd known about this in advance, and he wanted to know how.

"All right you two, sit down. Somehow you knew this was going to happen, and I know it's not because you're amateur weathermen in your free time. Hutchinson, you said something about good authority; whose?"

xXxXx

Hutch glanced at his partner before answering. The last time they'd dealt with Collandra, they'd been able to leave him out of it, and Hutch hated to bring him into the situation at hand.

Trying to be as vague as possible, Hutch said, "We got word from one of our contacts."

"You have a weatherman for a contact? That's a new one."

Starsky piped up, "Well, he's not specifically a weatherman. He has a wide range of knowledge, and you might say he's…"

"Eclectic," Hutch offered, "He's eclectic in his abilities."

xXxXx

Starsky shot a subtle glance at his partner; he'd have to ask the meaning of _eclectic_ later.

"Listen, Cap'n…not to change the subject, but how soon do you think I'd be able to get in touch with my wife? I need to know if she's okay, see if she knows anything about our daughter's school."

xXxXx

Dobey sighed. The cop in him wanted to get to the bottom of this and find out what these two were hiding, but as a family man himself, he understood Starsky's plight. Motioning to the phone, he said, "I don't know if it's working, but it's worth a try. Go ahead."


	4. Chapter 4

Starsky reached across the desk, and as he was about to crab the telephone, it rang.

"Dobey's office," he answered.

"Dave?" he heard Melissa's voice say. "Oh thank God. Are you all right?"

A wave of relief flooded Dave's eyes with tears at the sound of her voice.

He nodded. "Yeah, me and Hutch are both okay. I was just gonna try and call you. How are you?"

"I've got a bump on my head, but a paramedic is here, and he says I got lucky. I'll be fine. Listen, I've got the local news on here at the shop, and they said something about Ashley's school. Do you know anything?"

xXxXx

Hutch had started helping Dobey with his office but stopped when he saw the color drain from Starsky's face. Placing a hand on his partner's shoulder, he asked what was wrong.

Starsky pointed to the radio, and Hutch turned it on. A newscaster's voice came through the speakers.

"…here at Willow Brook elementary, where it appears some of the earthquake's worst damage was done. The majority of the school was cleared out, except for two third-grade classes and a fifth-grade class. Emergency relief teams have arrived on the scene and are working as hard and as quickly as they can to rescue the students and teachers, but it's uncertain as to just how soon they'll be able to get to those trapped inside. This is Wes Harmon…"

Hutch switched the radio off and returned his hand to Starsky's shoulder. Willow Brook was Ashley's school, and there was a possibility that she was one of the fifth-graders that had been unable to escape.

"We're on our way out, Melissa," he heard Starsky say. "Honey, I'd love to have you there, but you'd only be in the way. There's gonna be enough going on without a frantic mother looking for her child."

_I know he's trying to be brave for her sake, but does he know the worry can be heard in his voice? Can she hear it, or does her own worry drown it out?_

xXxXx

Starsky was anxious to get going, but there was no way he could leave without making sure that Melissa really was okay.

"But Dave, she's my child."

Starsky thought he heard tears in his wife's voice, and his heart broke.

"She's mine too, and I'm gonna do everything I can to make sure she's not hurt. But you have to trust me."

xXxXx

Melissa stood at the counter in the flower shop where she worked, hanging onto the phone for dear life and wishing she could hold her husband and child instead.

As she wiped away her tears, she whispered, "I trust you. Be careful."

"I will, I promise. Don't forget how much I love you."

Without warning, Hutch came on the line. "Melissa? Don't worry about Starsky. I'll keep a close eye on him."

"Yeah, I know you will, Hutch, and thanks. You tell Dave to watch out for you too."

"I'll tell him. You stay there until you hear from us, okay?"

Melissa nodded. "Yeah, okay. Hutch, tell Dave I love him."

xXxXx

Hutch smiled as he returned the phone to its cradle. "You've got yourself one fine lady, Starsk. She said to tell you she loves you, and to watch out for me."

Starsky rose from his chair. Any man on the street would see only the determination in his eyes, but Hutch saw the fear that was behind it. Starsky was afraid something had happened to Ashley, and that was an emotion only certain people picked up on. It was all a matter of how much Starsky trusted someone, and Hutch knew Starsky trusted him with his life.

xXxXx

Starsky took a breath to calm his nerves and wiped away his tears with the back of his hand. There was no way he was leaving this office misty-eyed.

"We'll find her, Starsky," he heard his partner say. "She'll be fine, you'll see. I'll bet she's waiting on the sidewalk for you right now."

"That's a nice thought, Hutch, and I appreciate the optimism. But you know as well as I do that there's also a chance that Ashley might still be inside."

"C'mon partner, let's go find out for sure."

The two started to leave the office, but found the door blocked by their captain, and he didn't look happy. Not angry exactly, but definitely _not_ happy.

"Cap'n, what are you doing? I gotta get outta here." Starsky moved toward the door again, but was stopped by Dobey's hand on his shoulder.

xXxXx

Dobey wasn't sure how to nicely word his thoughts, so he went about it in his typical, direct fashion.

"Starsky, what do you think you're doing? Didn't you just get done telling your wife frantic parents aren't needed at the school?"

"Yeah, so what? They're gonna need all the help they can get out there, and - "

"And I'm not sure you're the one best qualified to provide it right now. You're thinking with your heart and not your head. You're liable to search for Ashley and neglect the others trapped inside."

"What are you telling me, Cap'n? That because I'm a cop with a child there, I can't go? What if it was Rosie? Can you stand there and honestly tell me that if it was Rosie's school, you'd stay here while another man dug your daughter out of the rubble?"

Dobey shook his head. "That's different."

"Why?" Starsky nearly shouted. "Why is Rosie different from Rosie?"

"Because Rosie is my own flesh and blood."

Dobey wished he could take the words back as soon as they left his lips. Starsky had struck a nerve by bringing Rosie into it, but from the fire in the detective's eyes, it was clear to Dobey that he'd struck at the young man's heart.

xXxXx

Starsky took a step back in anger even as Hutch reached a hand down to calm him down.

"Let me tell you something, Cap'n: Biologically I may not be Ashley's father, but every time I look at her, I see a little girl that belongs to me. She doesn't call me 'Daddy' because it's my right, but because it's a privilege I've had to earn. I've spent the last two and a half years of my life trying to show her that she's a person to be loved and treasured, not beaten in anger. In the eighteen months that Melissa and I have been married, I've worked my tail off to be the dad Stephen should've been. You tell me that I'm thinking with my heart - you're right, because Ashley and Melissa have invaded it completely. But that doesn't take away from the fact that I'm still a cop, just like your family doesn't take away that same fact about you. I'm going down to that school, Cap'n, and I'm taking Hutch with me. We'll be there as emergency workers, and we won't bypass anybody for Ashley, I swear."

xXxXx

Hutch glanced at his partner, knowing that everything he'd just said was true. Turning his attention to Dobey, he said, "You have our word, Captain. Whether Ashley's inside that school building or out, if someone else gets to her before we do, we'll let them take care of her until one of us is free."

xXxXx

As a cop, Dobey still wasn't sure it was a good idea to send Starsky out to the school. But he had to admit that the detective was right about one thing: If it was his child's school, Dobey would drop everything to be there.

"All right," the captain conceded. "This may be against my better judgment, but head on over to Willow Brook, see if they could use your help. But if they don't, I want you two back here immediately - and don't you dare think I'm kidding."

He shook his head as he watched the pair hurry out the door, then crossed his office to the phone. As he dialed his home phone number, trying to reach his wife, Dobey realized that he never did find out where Starsky and Hutch had gotten that earthquake information from.

The call went through, and Dobey heard the phone ring on the other end. He breathed a sigh of relief even as he thought, _Sooner or later, I'm going to follow up with those two on that contact of theirs._


	5. Chapter 5

Starsky and Hutch carefully made their way through the streets, with the siren wailing to announce their presence on the road.

As he drove, Starsky's mind was on what had just happened in Dobey's office. He hadn't meant to lose his temper, but Starsky hated the assumption that because Ashley was his stepdaughter, he loved her less than if she was his biological child. He couldn't possibly love her any more if she was, and he'd do anything for her.

He soon pulled up to what used to be a school building but was now mostly a pile of rubble. Cement and bricks lay in chunks, stacked on top of each other in some places; people were everywhere. Between the emergency workers, the roaming adults, and the crying children, it was impossible for Starsky to tell if Ashley was among them.

Starsky started to exit the car, but stopped when Hutch placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Starsk, I know you're worried about Ashley, but don't forget what you told Dobey. You're here as an emergency worker, not as a father. For now, your responsibility as a whole."

Starsky sighed as he looked at Hutch, then at the rubble before him. Somewhere there was a line between the dad he wanted to be and the cop he'd promised to be.

He looked back at his partner. "I know what I said, Hutch. But I'm both a parent and a cop; how do I separate the two?"

xXxXx

Hutch felt bad for his friend, but to be completely honest, he didn't envy Starsky his conflicting identities.

"I don't know, but in Dobey's office, you made it sound as if they already are separated." He paused. "Look, I'll make you a deal. You help out wherever an extra set of hands is needed, and I'll see about finding Ashley."

xXxXx

Starsky was grateful for what Hutch was offering to do for him. There was no way he'd ever be able to pay his partner back for this.

He smiled. "Deal…let's go."

xXxXx

Starsky and Hutch exited the car, carefully making their way through the crowd in search of the emergency team leader. Not sure who was in charge, Hutch caught the attention of a briefly-free paramedic and asked.

"A captain firefighter named Miller," came the response. "He's over at Engine 82 giving directions."

Hutch offered his thanks, and as he followed his partner, his eyes searched the crowd for a red-haired, blue-eyed little girl that had changed his partner's life within days of their first meeting.

The blond was well aware of the special relationship Starsky shared with Ashley, and there were times Hutch would simply sit and watch them together. It was clear that Ashley adored her step dad and that he loved her. Most of that love was the natural love a parent felt for their child, biological or not. But Hutch also knew there was a part of Starsky that had bonded very closely with Ashley, a part that knew what it was like to not have a father love you the way he should. On evenings Hutch would join the Starskys for supper, as he watched the pair interact with each other, this was the side Hutch saw, the part of Starsky that was trying to make up for the first several years of Ashley's life.

There was only so much a man could do in the aftermath of an earthquake, but Hutch silently swore that he would do everything in his power to reunite his best friend with the daughter he'd gained by marriage.

xXxXx

Starsky was anxious to make his way through the crowd and gain access to Captain Miller at Engine 82. Other emergency workers were heading toward their assignments as he arrived, and he pulled his badge out of his pocket, showing it to the firefighter in charge.

"Detective, huh?" the man asked. "Don't know what you expect to find out in this mess."

"Our cases have been put on the back burner because of this mess," Starsky replied. "My partner and I were sent out here to help, if you can use us."

Miller shrugged. "I won't turn away two extra sets of hands. Listen, uh…I'm sorry what was your name?"

"Starsky, and he's Hutch."

"Detective Starsky, we've been able to make some head way in getting the two third-grade classes out. Their classrooms were practically next door to each other, so we haven't needed to use a lot of man power to work on that age group. It's the fifth-graders that seem to be buried under the most debris. Their location in the building was, for whatever reason, rather secluded, and most of it caved in. Go to the northeast corner and help dig those kids out."

"Do you know whose class it is…who the teacher is?"

"There are three fifth-grade classes, and this is the only one trapped. By process of elimination, this is Mrs. Sanchez's class."

"Damn," Starsky said under his breath.

He wasn't one-hundred percent sure what that "process of elimination" was, but Starsky figured Miller had some sort of master list of teachers, with names already highlighted, showing which classes had escaped.

Without another word, Starsky made his way toward the indicated section of rubble, hoping that he would find those kids - not just Ashley, but her classmates as well - alive and safe.

xXxXx

Hutch didn't recognize the teacher's name, but based on his partner's reaction, he guessed that was Ashley's teacher. Unless Ashley had just happened to be in the hallway near a door when the quake hit, it was likely she was still in that classroom and had not been one of the lucky ones to escape.

"Hutch," Miller said, "we've got quite a few kids we need to start getting contact information from, ways to get in touch with their folks. Teachers and administrators are doing the best they can to help with that, but as you can imagine, they have their hands full just trying to keep their students calm. I've got five or six other cops working on that; go talk to…Harris and see how that's going. If he can't use you, go to the northeast corner where I sent your partner."

Hutch nodded. He knew the man Miller was referring to and hoped that Harris could use his help. In the unlikely event that Ashley had somehow escaped without her class, he wanted to make sure she was all right.

xXxXx

Trapped under a caved-in roof, at least two walls, and any number of pounds of debris, a ten-year-old little girl sat with her classmates and her fifth-grade teacher. There wasn't room for any of them to move, and Mrs. Sanchez had said that she didn't know how long it would be before they were rescued; she'd said it depended on how bad the rest of the city was.

Ashley was trying to be calm and brave, like Mrs. Sanchez said they needed to be. But the thought of being trapped for an unknown amount of time scared her, and the one thing she wanted more than anything else was to have Dave pull her out from underneath the debris.

Tears began sliding down her dirt-stained face, and Ashley didn't even bother to wipe them away. She just let them fall.


	6. Chapter 6

Melissa was still at the flower shop, just as Hutch had asked, and even though she knew both he and her husband would keep their promise to be careful, she was unable to stop worrying. No matter how hard she tried to keep busy, her imagination kept running away with her. In her mind's eye, Melissa saw Ashley buried under a pile of rubble, and just as Dave was pulling the last chunk of cement off her body, more toppled on top of him. And Hutch was nowhere to be found because he'd been buried alive.

_Oh, these daydreams are horrible_, she told herself. _But they keep popping up. Why doesn't Dave or Hutch call, telling me they've found her?_

For what seemed to be the hundredth time since the crisis began, Melissa's eyes filled with tears, and like most of the other times, she did nothing to stop them.

xXxXx

In the chaos, it took Hutch the better part of ten or fifteen minutes to track down Harris, a heavier-built man in uniform. He was the kind of cop that liked to keep things light, but one look at Harris' expression told Hutch that he was not in one of his happier moods.

"Hey Hutch, what are you doing out here?"

"Starsky and I volunteered to help out; he's helping to get to the fifth graders. Miller sent me to give you a hand if you need it."

Harris glanced at his watch as he replied, "We've been at this…roughly an hour, and considering the mess we've got on our hands, my crew has actually made pretty good headway. Normally the teachers have contact information for their students on hand, but in an emergency like this, unfortunately that list sometimes ends up being forgotten. The teachers that were in control enough of their senses at the outset to bring that list with them have readily handed it over to us, making our job a lot easier. We're not ready to start making contact with the parents yet, but my men and I have this pretty well under control. It'll probably take us another thirty minutes or so. If Miller has another assignment for you, Hutch, I suggest you take that one."

The blond nodded. "He did give me a backup, in case you told me no. Say, Harris, the kids that are out here…are they all still with their teachers, or have some of them met up with a frantic parent that came looking for their child?"

Harris shrugged. "A little of both, I guess. Why?"

"Do you know if any of your men have come across a red-headed little girl about ten years old, whose class didn't make it out?"

The other cop thought for a moment before shaking his head negatively. "No, I don't think so. Ten years old? That's fifth grade, isn't it? If her class didn't make it out, chances are she didn't either. This kid you're talking about is still buried under a pile of rubble, and that corner is one of - "

"The worst spots, yeah I know," Hutch interrupted. "Thanks, Harris. Listen, do me a favor, will ya? If, by some lucky chance, you or one of your men come across Ashley Griffin, take her straight to Starsky, okay?"

Harris smiled sadly. "I don't think she's out here, but if we find her, we'll do that."

Hutch made his way to the northeast corner of the school, his eyes darting back and forth in search of a small familiar face, and his ears straining for a child's voice he recognized calling his name.

His heart sank when he reached his destination without either of those things happening.

xXxXx

Starsky paused briefly to wipe his brown and check his watch for the time. Thirty minutes; that's how long he'd been lugging pieces of debris away from what was left of Willow Brook Elementary. He considered himself to be in pretty good shape, but already Starsky could tell he would have sore muscles tomorrow.

And there seemed to be no end to the bricks and cement in sight. Starsky hadn't expected to find an opening that led to the kids right away, but he was surprised to discover that so much debris had fallen on top of each other.

As a detective, he hadn't spent much time as an emergency worker at a natural disaster site, and never after an earthquake. The devastation around him was a new experience; he wasn't sure he could handle the grief he felt for the kids who'd just lost their school.

_What about the grief that will come if we're unable to reach these kids in time? What if Melissa and I are among the parents that lose a child because of this?_

He shook his head as if shaking the thought from his mind; he had to think positive. Reminding himself that it was still too early to know anything either way, Starsky made his way back to where the other emergency workers were continuing to clear away debris, and he happened to glance over his shoulder. Coming his direction was Hutch, a grim expression on his face. Starsky couldn't decide if it was because the sun was in Hutch's eyes or because he had bad news.

Instead of asking, Starsky simply nodded his acknowledgement and slowed his pace so Hutch could walk with him.

"Harris is in charge of getting parents' contact information. I talked to him about Ashley; there's not much chance she escaped without her class, but he said he and his men would keep an eye out for her anyway. In the meantime, our best bet is to keep trying to dig them out."

Starsky didn't even try to come up with a response; he just sighed and let Hutch drape an arm over his shoulders as they continued to walk.


	7. Chapter 7

Ashley had quickly discovered the meaning of the word _claustrophobic_. She didn't like being trapped in a place where there was little room to move, and having to share that space with twenty other people wasn't helping. And though she'd never been afraid of the dark, Ashley found herself wishing for a flashlight. Mrs. Sanchez had one for emergencies, but her desk was buried under what used to be a wall.

"Mrs. Sanchez?" Ashley heard one of her classmates call. It sounded like Karen. "Mrs. Sanchez, does anybody even know we're down here?"

"I'm sure they know by now which classes were able to get out and which ones weren't. Someone will find us."

"Mrs. Sanchez." That was Joey. "Would it help if we tried to dig our way out?"

"No, that would just make it worse. If we tried to move things down here, everything on top would come crashing down."

"Like an avalanche?" Ashley piped up.

"Yes, sort of like that," Mrs. Sanchez replied. "You've all been doing a great job of staying calm. I'm sure there are people trying to get to us; staying calm is how we can help them."

Ashley wondered if Dave was one of the ones looking for them, or if he even knew she was trapped. More than anything, she wanted to feel his strong arms wrapped around her, with her head on his chest so she could hear his heartbeat. That always made her feel safe.

Mrs. Sanchez was talking again, and Ashley turned her head so she could hear better. Her teacher was asking what everybody would like to do when they were finally rescued. One at a time, from all over the classroom, each of the fifth-graders voiced exactly what Ashley had been thinking: They wanted to hug their parents.

Somehow, it made Ashley feel a little better to know she wasn't the only one who was scared.

xXxXx

Huggy considered himself to be a lucky man; yes sir, a very lucky man indeed. He'd stayed in a cubbyhole for who knew how long after the quake was over, almost in fear of it starting again. Not that he'd ever tell anyone.

_Never let it be known that the Bear hid from Mother Nature…yeah, that's right._

As he crawled out from his hiding spot and stood to his full height, Huggy took a long look around the Pits. Surprisingly enough, it didn't look too bad. Huggy couldn't argue that the place had looked better, but he'd been through earthquakes before and had seen worse than what he was looking at now.

He dug out his transistor radio and turned it one, only vaguely listening to it as he started making mental notes of what would need to be repaired or replaced.

The black man jerked his head in the direction of the radio when the newscaster said something about a school. He hurried to raise the volume level and listened closely to what was being said.

"…workers are doing their best to rescue a pair of third-grade classes and one fifth-grade class that are trapped beneath the rubble. Captain Harris, of the Bay City Police, is working with several of his men to gather contact information so that parents can be informed of their child's welfare. Again, this is at Willow Brook Elementary, and if your child is a student here, rest assured that everything is being done to keep them safe. This is Wes Harmon…"

Huggy wasn't sure, but he thought Willow Brook was where Starsky's stepdaughter went to school. Not remembering how old she was, Huggy had no idea if she'd gotten out or if there was a chance she was trapped inside.

He briefly looked around for the phone, wanting to try and get through to Starsky. But in the midst of the debris, he didn't know where it was, or even if the lines were free.

Huggy shut off the radio before heading outside, then started walking around - and in some places, over - chunks of debris. He slowly made his way to the flower shop where Melissa worked.

As he walked through the door, he saw his friend's wife standing behind the counter, her back to him. He stood silently for a moment, then cleared his throat. Melissa turned towards him with a startled look on her face, and Huggy quickly apologized.

"I didn't mean to scare you; I just came to check on your daughter."

Melissa wiped tears away as she responded, "It's all right, Huggy. I haven't heard anything, from Dave or anybody else. I talked to him a couple hours ago; he and Hutch were on their way to the school, but I haven't talked to him since. I don't suppose you know anything? You'd tell me if you did, wouldn't you?"

Huggy could only shake his head no. "I just heard the news a little while ago."

xXxXx

Melissa thought she could almost literally feel her heart breaking from lack of news. She knew Dave would get in touch with her as soon as he knew anything, and that Hutch was there looking out for him. But in her heart of hearts - deep in the heart only a mother has - Melissa was frightened that she would find out that her child had been ripped away from her.

She wouldn't remember doing so later, but Melissa came around from behind the counter and wrapped her arms around Huggy's waist, tears falling all over again.

xXxXx

Huggy returned the embrace and let her cry. No matter how uncomfortable it made him feel, clearly this was something Melissa needed.

She soon pulled away. "Oh Huggy, I'm sorry. I got tear stains all over your shirt."

He simply shrugged. "It ain't no big thing. Melissa, I don't make a habit of this, but is there anything I can do for you?"

xXxXx

Melissa smiled a little at the offer. She was well aware of Huggy's personality and knew this was indeed out of character for him.

"Would you mind…waiting here with me until Dave or Hutch calls? I'm here alone, and they told me to stay put."

xXxXx

Hutch nodded, unsure of what to say but somewhat glad for the opportunity to be away from the Pits. It would be some time before he'd be in business again, and even though he was already anxious for that day to come, Huggy was willing to put cleaning off until tomorrow. He may have been a snitch in the low rent district, but he was a snitch that cared about his friends.

Without saying a word, Huggy hopped on top of the counter and leaned slightly backwards in search of a magazine. He sat up straight again, _Better Homes & Gardens_ in hand. As he started flipping through the pages, Huggy tried to ignore the fact that Melissa was stifling a laugh at his choice.

xXxXx

Time was passing slowly for Starsky as he and Hutch continued to dig through the rubble. After two and a half hours, he'd stopped glancing at his watch; he'd finally realized that by keeping track of the time, he was making himself more nervous than he needed to be. But even without regularly checking the time, Starsky was discovering that the parent in him was slowly over-taking his inner-cop.

_I need to stay focused. I gotta think with my head and not my heart. But how the hell do you do that when your child's life is at risk? It's so hard to sift through debris, to set your fears aside, when the whole situation feels nearly hopeless. Where the hell do you draw that damn line between personal and professional?_

He lifted what seemed like the thousandth chunk of rubble, Starsky became aware of a sudden ache in his arms - no, deeper…in his heart - to be holding Ashley instead of a piece of what used to be a school building. As he continued to walk away with the bricks in his arms, he was almost sure that he was going to lose control of his emotions.

_Ash, I swear I'm trying to find you. I'm doing everything I can do get your outta there. Please still be alive._

Tears threatened to fall as he reached the throw-away pile of debris, but he blinked them away when heard quick footsteps coming up behind him. He glanced over his shoulder before dropping his armload and saw Hutch hurrying to catch up with him.

"Starsk…some of the guys think they may have found a way in. They need all the man power they can get to finish clearing out the debris in their area."

Starsky didn't wait for Hutch to tell him where. In fact, he didn't even wait for Hutch to finish speaking. Starsky hurried past his partner, hope springing anew.

_I'm coming, Ashley. So help me, I'm coming._


	8. Chapter 8

Even in her uncomfortable position of being almost completely trapped under her desk, Ashley had somehow been able to fall into some semblance of fitful sleeping. She'd begun to dream of Dave coming to her rescue, lifting the desk from on top of her and pulling her into his arms.

Ashley slowly awoke from her dream and realized that in real life, she was still stuck. She was desperate to struggle against her desk, to try and free herself, but she didn't dare for fear of everything else tumbling in. So she stayed still, trying not to cry as her mind wandered back to her dream.

_Dave, please be out there…I need you to be out there looking for me. Please Dave…_Daddy_…please come find me._

xXxXx

Mrs. Sanchez would not - could not - let her students know how frightened she was. Her biggest fear was to be buried alive, and here she was, trapped under any numbers of layers of earthquake rubble. She had twenty students she needed to be brave for, but she was just barely holding herself together.

She and her class had been trapped for several hours, and she had no idea how much longer she would be able to keep her frantic tears at bay. She continued to hope that whatever emergency workers were out there would find them soon.

The thought had barely formed when Mrs. Sanchez almost thought she heard voices.

_That can't be possible…can it? God knows how much stuff is surrounding us, and it wasn't really all that loud. It had to have been some of the kids whispering._

Mrs. Sanchez tried to convince herself of this, and just when she'd nearly succeeded, she heard the voices again. She had to strain to keep hearing them because the sound was so faint, but from what she could tell, these were not the voices of children; they belonged to grown men, and it sounded like they were struggling to reach Mrs. Sanchez's class.

She dared not get her class's hopes up, so Mrs. Sanchez didn't say a word to the children. She simply kept listening for the voices, hoping that they would soon begin to grow louder.

xXxXx

Starsky found himself standing in an assembly line several yards from where he'd originally been working. Hutch had been right: Several of the others had indeed found a passageway. As luck would have it, when the walls had started coming down during the quake, a nearly perfectly circular hold had somehow been formed. As chunks were cleared away, it was slowly discovered that the hole continued down into the rubble. By trial and error, the workers soon determined that they were able to fit into the hole. One of the workers followed the passageway below and followed it to a barrier of more rubble, on the other side of which he was able to catch bits and pieces of faint, intermittent conversations that consisted of what sounded like children's voices. He retreated from the passageway and reported his findings; hence, the message that had sent Hutch after Starsky.

So here Starsky stood, taking chunk after chunk from Hutch and passing them on down the line, the prospect of having Ashley in his arms closer than ever. His anxious excitement of finally getting her out from beneath the rubble was nearly impossible to contain, but at this point Starsky wasn't sure he cared.

_All I know is the first thing I'm gonna do is wrap my arms around her; in fact, I may never let her go again._

xXxXx

After Starsky and Hutch had left his office, Captain Dobey had turned the radio back and listened to various reports from around the city as he straightened his office.

He'd heard all of the updates regarding Willow Brook, including the one that had reported the pair of third grade classes being dug out. But there had been nothing about the fifth-graders.

Until now.

"This is Wes Harmon, reporting live from outside the remains of Willow Brook Elementary, where I've just received word that a group of emergency workers may finally be on the verge of reaching a fifth grade class that had gotten trapped beneath the rubble…"

The captain only vaguely heard the remainder of the broadcast; his thoughts had turned to Starsky and whether or not his stepdaughter had been found yet.

Dobey had most definitely underestimated the relationship Starsky had with the child; the speech the detective made earlier brought the realization into clear view.

_Maybe there's not that much difference between Rosie and Ashley, when it comes right down to how much Starsky and I love them. At the end of the day, maybe the most important thing is for both of them to know that the father in their lives loves them._

For the life of him, Dobey couldn't figure out why he had never realized this before. Though he'd never admit it to anyone else, he was glad it knew it now, because it gave him a better understanding of his men with blended families.

xXxXx

Melissa and Huggy also heard the most recent news report. Melissa snapped the radio off before the broadcaster was finished talking. She reached behind the counter for her purse, then headed for the door.

Huggy's voice stopped her. "Where do you think you're going? You're supposed to stay here, or did you forget that?"

"I don't care. I should've heard something by now, and I want to make sure my child's okay."

"Have you looked outside today? It's not exactly a walk in the park, and it's only gonna get worse the closer you get to the school."

"That's why you're coming too, to keep me from getting hurt."

xXxXx

_Say what? I didn't sign up as an escort through a war zone._

Huggy opened his mouth to say so, but Melissa was already out the door. All he could do was try to keep up.

xXxXx

At first Ashley thought she'd just been imagining things, but the longer she listened, the more sure she was that she was hearing voices…voices that belonged to grownups…voices that were slowly getting louder.

_God, please let Dave be out there. I really want Dave._

The thought had barely crossed her mind when the far wall-now mostly consisting of rubble-suddenly crumbled and fell into both the classroom and the hallway. The cave-in kicked up a fair amount of dirt, causing everyone in the room to start coughing.

Once the coughing and dirt died down, Ashley looked over at the wall, where she saw a man lifting chunks of debris and handing them off to a second man. He paused for a moment and asked, "Is everybody all right in here…kids…Mrs. Sanchez?"

Ashley heard her teacher's voice. "I don't think anyone is hurt, but I'm not sure any of us are able to get out. We're all trapped."

"All right; just hang in there a little while longer. We're gonna get you outta there."

For the first time in hours, Ashley found it a easier to breathe, just knowing she would soon be free.


	9. Chapter 9

News of the contact made its way down the line, and when it reached Starsky, he looked at Hutch with an almost triumphant expression on his face.

"You hear that, Hutch? They're okay; we're almost there."

"But we're not there yet, so don't go racing for Ashley right this second," Hutch cautioned. "We've still got rubble we need to move out of the way."

Starsky knew his partner was right, but he was almost desperate to hold in his arms the little girl he loved so much. It was all he could do to keep his spot in line instead of going to the front and digging Ashley out himself.

_God, I wish I could do that, but I promised Dobey I wouldn't neglect the others just for her. The cop's gotta come first._

xXxXx

Melissa and Huggy made their way through the broken and cluttered streets, her leading the way and him reluctantly following. He was careful to help Melissa over and around the rough patches, because he knew he'd never heard the end of it from Starsky if something happened to Melissa on his watch. Starsky's bad side was not a place Huggy wanted to be.

Keeping that in mind, the black man briefly moved ahead of Melissa so he could clear the path by tossing several broken tree branches aside. He then returned the lead to Melissa and continued following her to Willow Brook.

xXxXx

The next forty-five minutes passed slowly for Ashley as she watched the emergency worker struggle to remove chunks of debris from what used to be a wall. She hoped someone would soon be able to get her desk off of her; ideally that person would be Dave, but Ashley was almost to the point where she would be glad to have _anybody_ toss it aside and get her to safety.

_I really want it to be Dave, though. God, please let Dave be the one to get me out of here._

Ashley was brought out of her thoughts by the worker's voice.

"Kids, I need you to listen carefully and exactly what I tell you, okay? Is there anyone at all that's hurt, even a little bit?"

After several "no" responses and a few quiet moments, he continued, "All right, next question: Are any of you able to wiggle loose?"

From all around the room came sounds of grunting and slight struggling, but none of Ashley's classmates were able to pry themselves free from the rubble.

"Okay kids, don't worry; we're gonna get you out. Mrs. Sanchez, how are you holding up?"

xXxXx

She was on the verge of falling apart. Oh, how she wanted to be out of here!

"I'm all right," the teacher lied. "Get to the children first."

"That's just what I wanted to hear. We'll get to you just as soon as we can, Mrs. Sanchez, I promise."

She could only hope so; she was ready to scream, but knew she had to continue to be brave for her students.

_But the moment I get out of here, I think I just might cry for a week._

xXxXx

Word soon reached Starsky and Hutch that they weren't far from being finished. The first fifteen or twenty men in line were asked to go into the classroom itself and dig the children out, and that number ended with Hutch, leaving Starsky to wait outside.

One look at his partner told the blond that Starsky was ready to into the debris immediately, with or without permission, and hunt for Ashley himself.

Hutch placed one hand on Starsky's shoulder and pointed at him with the other. "I know what you're thinking, and I'm not gonna let you do it."

Starsky scoffed. "Do what?"

"Can you honestly tell me that you weren't thinking about tagging along and searching for Ashley?" Hutch didn't wait for an answer. "We made a deal, remember?"

xXxXx

Starsky let out a deflated sigh; he remembered, but he wasn't ready to quit working yet.

"Hutch, we're so close - "

"You've held up your end of the bargain; let me go take care of mine, okay?"

It was tough for Starsky to accept the fact that Hutch was not allowing him to look for Ashley; she was _his_ responsibility, after all. But he knew that Hutch was just trying to help him keep the promise he'd made to Dobey.

He was reluctant to do so, but Starsky heard himself slowly say, "All right, Hutch…but I don't want her coming out with anybody but you, do you hear me?"

xXxXx

Hutch was silent for a moment as he caught the disappointment in his partner's eyes. This was Starsky's first real family crisis, and he wasn't even allowed to come to Ashley's rescue. Instead, he had to depend on someone else to go in and save her.

_I'm glad he's letting it be me._

"I hear you, Starsk, lout and clear. I'll get her out of there as soon as can."

Hutch dropped his hand from Starsky's shoulder and turned away, hurrying to down into the dug-out hallway.

xXxXx

Starsky watched his friend leave, and he was struggling to fight the urge to follow Hutch. He knew that, since there was nothing more for him to do hear, he should go back to Captain Harris for another assignment, but his heart just wasn't in it.

The cop in him was done working; Starsky was as close to full father-mode as he could be without breaking his deal with Hutch.

xXxXx

Melissa just barely recognized the area surrounding the school. Deep gorges in the road and uprooted, broken trees in the yards made the distance between the flower shop and Willow Brook almost impassable. But if there was the slightest chance that her daughter was hurt - or heaven forbid, dead - then nothing would stop Melissa from making her way through. As she took Huggy's offered hand to step across a block of cement, she looked into the distance, and there the school stood, the length of a football field away, and surrounded by what seemed to be a thousand people.

Somewhere in that throng were her husband and child, and she was determined to stay there until she found them.

With that in mind, she crossed those final yards, closing the gap between herself and her family, and began asking people if they knew where she could find Dave.


	10. Chapter 10

Ashley watched in silence as more than a dozen men entered and scattered themselves around the room. She scanned their faces for that of her step dad, but it didn't come. Disappointed tears filled her eyes, and though she was on the opposite side of the room from the emergency workers, Ashley turned her head away so the men wouldn't see her tears.

_Where is he? Is he even out there? Doesn't he know where I am? God, he's not hurt ,is he? Please don't let my daddy be hurt; I really wanna see my daddy again._

As Ashley regained control of her tears and turned her head back the other direction, one more emergency worker made his way into the classroom…a blond, one Ashley loved almost as dearly as she loved Dave.

The tears started all over again as Ashley called out his name. "Hutch…Hutch, please get me out of here!"

xXxXx

Hutch's ears perked up at the sound of his name. He quickly scanned the mess for Ashley. She could see him; hopefully he'd be able to spot her as well.

"I'm coming, Ash, hold on. Keep talking; lead me to you."

"I'm over here, Hutch. Come get me out."

_There she is._ "I see you. Give me a couple minutes, and I'll have you right out of there."

There were several smaller pieces of debris surrounding Ashley's desk he needed to get out of the way, but they were soon tossed aside, and Hutch looked beneath the desk at the little girl.

"Ashley, does that make it any easier for you to get out, or do you need me to move your desk too?"

xXxXx

The child tried to reposition herself, but with her desk on top of her and some rubble still around it, it wasn't any use.

"I can't get out, Hutch. I still need help." she paused, then asked, "Hutch, where's Dave? Is he all right?"

xXxXx

For the moment, Hutch chose to ignore her question. "I need you to curl into a ball for me if you can, Ashley. Make yourself as small as possible. I'm going to try to lift your desk directly up, but if that doesn't work, I'll have to wiggle it loose."

It turned out to be a combination of the two, and the desk was no sooner out of the way before Ashley uncurled herself, slowly stood, and looked up at Hutch.

"You've gotta tell me about Dave, Hutch," she pleaded. "Where is he?"

The blond knelt down so he could be eye to eye with her. "He's fine. Let's get out of here, and you can see for yourself."

xXxXx

Ashley bit her lip in a desperate attempt to fight back more tears. If she was going to cry again, she didn't want anybody to see but Dave…and she wasn't really sure about that.

Hutch stood and wrapped a protective arms around Ashley's shoulders. He helped her over and through the rubble that remained, and when the pair finally made it outside, Hutch crouched down and silently straight ahead.

Ashley's eyes followed Hutch's arm. A few feet away stood Dave, his back turned and his hands in his pockets. He was kicking at a broken tree branch.

There was no stopping the tears at the sight of her step dad, and as Ashley pulled away from Hutch, she began to run.

"Daddy!"

xXxXx

His heart leapt into his throat at the sound of Ashley's voice. In a nearly single motion, Starsky turned and knelt on one knee, taking the child into his arms as she reached him.

The tears he'd been fighting for hours flowed down Starsky's cheeks as he repeatedly asked if she was all right.

Through her own tears, Ashley was repeating just as often, "Don't let me go, Daddy. Don't ever let me go again."

xXxXx

Melissa had finally found someone that knew where her husband was, and with Huggy close behind, she made her way to the area pointed out to her. All around her were reunited families, and she could only hope that it wouldn't be long before her own family would be together again.

She rounded another pile of rubble and abruptly stopped, causing Huggy to bump into her. She couldn't tear her eyes from the sight ahead of her. Several feet away was Dave with his arms wrapped around her daughter.

_No, not just mine…our daughter. She belongs to Dave too, and he loves her in a way I never could, in a way only a father can love a child._

Without another thought, Melissa started moving again.

xXxXx

Ashley had her arms wrapped tightly around her step dad's neck, and for the first time in hours, she felt completely safe. She couldn't quite make out the heartbeat she loved to hear, but having Dave's arms around her was good enough for her.

Suddenly she was aware of another pair of arms around her, and as Ashley lifted her head from Dave's shoulder, she saw her mother's face.

"Mom!" Ashley's tears started all over again as she loosened her grip on her step dad's neck and hugged her mother.

xXxXx

Never in his life was Starsky more glad to have his family all in one piece. He lovingly ran his fingers through Ashley's red hair before leaning over to kiss Melissa.

As he did so, he was only vaguely aware of more fifth-graders being led out of their rubble-filled classroom and a news crew setting up, preparing to go live.

xXxXx

"This is Wes Harmon, reporting live from Willow Brook Elementary, where a fifth grade class has just been rescued after being trapped for several hours as a result of this morning's earthquake. Only a few more students and their teacher remain below, but they'll be coming above ground shortly. It also seems that an emergency worker is a parent to one of these rescued fifth-graders. Detective Dave Starsky has been working most of the day to free these children, but when contact was finally made with the class, he chose to put personal feelings aside and remain above ground while another worker dug the detective's daughter out of the remaining rubble. The father-daughter pair has just been reunited…"

Despite his initial reservations, Captain Dobey had to admit he was proud of Starsky for keeping his word not to bypass the crisis for Ashley. Situations like this were tough for the workers with families; they were required to stay on task, seemingly indifferent to the worry and anxiety they were feeling.

Dobey had always prided himself on being able to separate the cop from the father. But perhaps there was something to be said for allowing the two to intertwine from time to time.

_After all, it's true that I am a cop with a family, just like Starsky said. The two are already wrapped up together. To be anything less would be…_

"To be anything less would be denying my humanity."

With that in mind, Captain Dobey shut off his radio, rose from behind his desk, and exited his office. He'd spent too much of the day focused solely on his job; the hours that were left would be spent with his wife and children.

The first thing Dobey was going to do was tell Rosie how much he loved her.

xXxXx

Ashley was once again in Starsky's arms.

"I love you, Daddy," she whispered.

_God, I love that word._ "I love you too, sweetheart."

xXxXx

**A/N: I have thoroughly enjoyed bringing Melissa and precious little Ashley to life over the last several years. Currently I have no plans to further the series, but I certainly hope that someday I'll find inspiration for a "Hero Story #6", because Starsky's family holds a special place in my heart. It's my hope that you've enjoyed reading these stories as much as I've enjoyed writing them.**

**Postscript 6/10/13: I have added one additional story to the series, "Dear Daddy", in honor of Father's Day. Hope you enjoy it. **


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